An important role exists in the economy with regard to packaging of goods, particularly food, in flexible, thermoplastic bags. The ultimate cost of packaged goods to the consumer is dependent upon how available low cost efficient packaging methods and devices are. This includes auxiliary components employed in the packaging. Many consumer products, such as meat, are packaged in bags supplied as a chain of imbricated taped bags. The bags are in overlying, shingled relationship and adhered to one or more strands of tape. Imbricated bags and tape pulling units for automatically dispensing taped bags are shown in U.S. Pat. No 3,587,843 (Wing) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,698,547 (Roberts). Background on dispensing is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,702,672 (Becht), which discloses an arcuate head and friction bar that aids in manually dispensing flexible thermoplastic bags from a perforated roll. Also background, U.S. Pat. No. 3,554,447 (Sebring) discloses use of a stripper plate for detaching envelopes from a carrier web and U.S. Pat. No. 3,918,661 (Kishi et al.) discloses a paper roll holder having a lid abutting on the roll.
More relevant are U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,728 (Compton and Thomas), U.S. Pat. No. 4,113,139 (Berry and Hall), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,032,038 (Hendricks, Howe, Lock, Morris, and Owen). More particularly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,728 involves a package of imbricated bags including a chain of adhesively imbricated bags in overlying sequence, each bag being adhesively but releaseably attached to adjacent bags and having an open mouth end directed toward the leading end of the chain. Also is shown a container for the chain having an elongate, constricted opening through which the leading end of the chain is directed. The length of the opening is less than the bag chain width by a selected extent sufficient to cause the mouth of each bag to open in response to transverse constriction as the chain is advanced through the opening. U.S. Pat. No. 4,113,139 involves a chain of imbricated bags connected and supported by a carrier removably secured to the closed end of each of the bags. The carrier is used for individually dispensing the leading bag when the carrier is moved in a direction which advances the sealed end of the bag ahead of the opened end. U.S. Pat. No. 4,032,038 involves a device useful for dispensing taped bags including spaced apart rotatably mounted carriers, a surface therebetween to wind up at least one tape, and a clutch assembly for unidirectional rotation of the wind up surface. In various embodiments, the device further includes a variety of features which facilitates removal of wound up tape. The device is useful when employed as a component of an apparatus having a housing for supporting a supply of taped bags. Also is disclosed a process useful for removing flexible thermoplastic bags in imbricated relationship from a chain having at least one bag-connecting tape. The process includes securing the tape to a reel, rotating the reel (A) to withdraw the leading bag from a supply, (B) to wind up a portion of the tape, and (C) to create tension on the tape, and then manually removing at least the leading bag from the tension tape, repeating the two preceding operations, and thereafter removing the resulting accumulated tape The disclosures of all the above-mentioned patents are incorporated herein by reference.
Although large volume packagers can advantageously utilize automated dispensing systems for taped bags, many taped bag dispensing operations are performed manually by a human operator, especially for lower volume taped bag users. Heretofore, known dispensing devices and processes have not entirely satisfactorily satisfied this need. It has now been found by practice of the instant invention that numerous deficiencies of the prior art are overcome in a simple, economical, and efficient manner.